Month: March 2005

Gelato Cafe is the new Sugarbun offshoot that’s
supposed to fill the void in iced confectionary products that was left
when the previous Sugarbun attempt in this market (remember the
Caprilla chain?) folded. Oh, and btw, I’m in Sibu now due to a last
minute, wtf, let’s head home decision. ;)

Gelato Cafe occupies a small compartment beside the Sugarbun outlet
in Jalan Wong Nai Siong. It’s a really small place, but I’ll go with
cozy instead, considering we have shares in Sugarbun. ;)

The seating arrangements put me at a loss for words though…it’s…very colorful…

Gelato Cafe has a less than stellar portfolio though – there is a total of eight (8) menu items.

This is the Waffle Gelato (RM 3.90) that my gf ordered. It was alright, with one minor issue…it’s not gelato…

I went for the Almond Shell Delight (RM 2.90) which is one of my favorite things to order. Imagine eating the plate after you’re done with the dish! ;)

This is the strangely named Gelato Quick (RM 3.90)
that we shared. It has two scoops of something-which-is-not-gelato
garnished with peach slices, coconut shavings, corn, a cherry and one
of those cocktail sticks you can poke your eye with.

Gelato Cafe also has a prominently displayed sign that made me laugh
out loud. It’s not gelato, but it’s cheap (as long as you don’t break
any glasses) and the sign is really something you need to check out. ;)

I received an envelope from Derek in the mail today. Big D is one of
the senior moderators at limteh.com and he was kind enough to help out
with the bandwidth bills of the sixthseal.com umbrella of sites.

The contribution was double wrapped (two envelopes – the only way to
send cash via post) and the bills hidden inside a Hallmark greeting
card. There was a US$ 20 bill and a US$ 10 bill. The card happens to be
one for grandmothers, I appreciate the thought, grandson. ;)

This is the “Happy Birthday Grandma” card that Big D sent the cash
with. I figure the post office people would feel really bad if they
didn’t deliver this to a poor old helpless lady. Heh! The
correspondence is applied mosaic for confidentiality.

In God We Trust.

Thanks, my friend…it’s really great that you went though all the
trouble, much love (in a totally heterosexual, brotherly way, of course
;)), mate!

This is the photo of the chocolate mousse I made after three days of
preparation. The recipe and step-by-step procedures will be furnished
below, including a video clip of the interesting chocolate mousse
dynamics.

Rin cigarettes is the latest offering in the Japan tobacco market
and has an almost Zen like minimalist approach to the design of the
pack. It’s marketed by Japan Tobacco (JT) and the most interesting
thing you’ll notice straight away is the URL listed in front of the
pack – http://www.mhlw.go.jp/topics/tobacco/main.html. It goes to a WHO
tobacco health warning website. You think you’ve seen everything, and
something like this comes along… ;)

The back of Rin cigarettes is similarly verbose, in a minimalist
way, of course. Did that even make sense? Nevermind. Anyway, Rin
cigarettes from JT come in a beige colored pack with a single red
Japanese character for “Rin” (I presume) which makes it stand out. This
product was bought in Japan (Thanks ff!), so the only English
characters I could make out is the phrase “Japanese Original Blend” and
the numerical “100%”.

The flip top pack is embossed with a raised grid texture too – a
very novel design decision that I’ve never seen implemented in
cigarette boxes before. The grid is not merely functional e.g. to
provide a better surface grip, but is pleasing to the senses as it
portrays a throwback to the old days of Japan (not that I would know
what that is like, it just gave me that feeling).

The open pack of Rin cigarettes also reveals another complementary
unconventional design aspect – the filters of Rin cigarettes come in a
very interesting shade of light amber. The grid texture combined with
this unusual choice of filter makes it stand out from other cigarette
offerings.

Rin cigarettes is a near full flavored cigarette blend at 11 mg tar
and 1.2 mg nicotine per cigarette too. It tastes good…very smooth
draw and it has a nice, toasty aftertaste.

The tobacco contained inside Rin cigarettes is unusual too…the
color is distinctively different, but unfortunately, I only noticed
that when I used one to spin…it matches the filter color in some
shades. Nice…

Fidelity Sound Division is an entertainment and
multimedia production house located at Jalan Abell in Kuching. I’ve
been hanging around the studio lately, and the place is amazing…the
first time I got to see the interior was sublime, for the lack of a
better adjective. I did not know that a place like this existed in
Kuching. FSD is located on the 1st Floor of Lot 97, Section 50. The
front of the place is non descript, so I never noticed it before until
recently.

Entering the recording studio reveals the lounge, which has a P/S 2
hooked up to a large TV and speakers and seats huddled and pedals with multiple effects around the
coffee table. There’s a post-production work area beside the lounge
with broadband net access as well. I’ll tell you one thing – this is a
great place to hang out and chill. It’s also less than a minute’s walk
from my office. ;) The recording studio is always filled with the
label’s DJ’s as well as friends, there’s never a dull moment. It’s
seriously great…

There are rooms flanking the left of the studio, with specialized
functions for each. This is the mixing room. Fidelity Sound Division is
involved in Event Management/Support, Mobile DJ Solutions, Music
Training Centers, Multimedia Publication and Consultation Services. The
Fidelity Sound Division’s website is at www.fidelitysounddivision.com [fidelitysounddivision.com].

The next room is equipped with everything a band needs to get up and
running. The room also functions as a recording room for bands and
Fidelity Sound Division provides the services to facilitate an album
release. Nifty.

The third room is outfitted to be a conference room…

…and this is Rizal Wahab, the man who owns the
place. The Il Padrino of the recording studio. I just managed to meet
him today, and he’s a great guy. He used to be from Australia too, so
that’s something we all have in common. The interesting thing I got to
know today is that the legendary annual Crown Plaza rave is also
organized by Fidelity Sound Division. Rizal is the Managing Director of
Fidelity Sound Division and he also plays as DJ Reeze. He’s a DJ and
had a residency back in Perth club.

His office is a sight to behold…there’s a plethora of collections
on display; the equipment in there must cost more than what I make in
10 years. Prime…

There are seating arrangements to the side as well as a collection of flyers…

The cabinets lining the side is also filled with various collector items…it’s an interesting place.

There are also mix decks towards the back and the windows faces an
unlikely structure. Rizal showed me the view from the window – it looks
straight into the Padungan Police Station. Heh!

The side is filled with a keyboard and a framed autographed football jersey. Nice.

I managed to catch last year’s rave on Rizal’s Mac – it was recorded
with surprising clarity (both video and audio). Rizal was the opening
act (DJ Reeze) that year. The Fidelity Sound Division recording studio
is also actively promoting their resident DJ’s. Thanks for showing me
around, man.

Fidelity Sound Division is like an oasis in the middle of the city.
The ambience is all good vibes, it’s the best place to hang out and
just chill in Kuching…

Peace be with you, sister in Christ. Now that we’ve got the
formalities out of the way (don’t believe we’ve been introduced), I
would appreciate it if you could spare a couple of seconds of your time
to address an issue regarding a comment posted in the weblog mental jog at (http://jogalong.blogspot.com).

I would like to highlight the entry made on the 4th of February, 2005 with the title yo, come let’s drink tea!
(Permalink:
http://jogalong.blogspot.com/2005/02/yo-come-lets-drink-tea.html), in
particular the first comment in the comment section, if you’ll be so
kind as to refer back to it.

The entry in question focuses on an upstart forum called LimTeh.com (LimTeh.com is a sixthseal.com
venture). I believe that the first comment was written by you, or
person(s) using the “lilian” nickname with a back link URL pointing to
(http://lilianchan.blogspot.com/).

I navigated over to the weblog in question and was informed that This blog has moved to http://chanlilian.net/.
I proceeded to the URL and arrived here. You must be wondering what
great news I must be carrying about our Lord Savior, Jesus Christ, to
have traveled so long and far, and to that, I say…there is none.

He did remind me that it’ll be His birthday again in nine months,
and told me that I had better get him something stronger than wine if
I’m to be considered for the Heaven Guest List, but that’s it.
Hmm…come to think of it, he did sound kinda judgmental and rather
unlike his usual forgiving self, but that could be coz of the
drinking…

I digress. I did not come here with glorious news of the divine
nature. It’s something more earthly that I’ve traveled thus yonder to
share with you.

I am writing to relay my feelings regarding the comment which was
made on the 4th of February, 2005 at 1:33 PM (GMT +8) which reads:

QUOTELucia
I hope you will exercise your wisdom over there because as I see it, it
has undertones of substances abuse. I can’t be sure but you are free to
ask around from our wiser and more established forummers. Go on, jump
on me but I have to say what I have to say.
UNQUOTE

The off-handed remark and pre-assumptions which is cocooned within
the barbed comment really…er, hurt, my feelings. For a moment, it
felt like there was sand in my eyes, and maybe there was, with the
construction going on outside…and the word “forummers” really did
hurt my eyes. It’s a piercing sort of pain, like it’s telling me that
there’s too many m’s. I’m sorry, but that’s what happened.

It also made me feel like my heart was being slowly shredded apart,
with each word that flashed before my eyes, but perhaps that could be
attributed to sympathomimetic induced cardiac dysrhythmias…yep,
nothing feels like tachypnea and tachycardia with a dash of
intracranial pressure in the morning. It just wakes you right
up…works like magic…okay…right, I will stop pretending to make
sarcastic comments disguised as small talk and get to the point now.

I appreciate the fact that you’ve voiced out your personal views and
I absolutely agree that you have a right to speak out. Now, if you’ll
allow me to reciprocate, I must correct you on several factual
malfunctions in your comment.

1. The LimTeh.com forum does not have “undertones
of substances (sic) abuse”. I ABSOLUTELY RESENT the negative
connotations loaded in that phrase. I would like to correct you, once
and for all, and make it clear that the LimTeh.com forum neither
condones nor discourages substance use. Instead, the practice is embraced.

2. I would like to compare notes with you on the second rebuttal
before making a statement, because I would not think of making
assumptions about you, but wtf, we haven’t got all day, so, getting
right to the point, I find the phrase “wiser and more established
forummers” to be offensive and derogatory to me.

Please allow me to get on my moral high horse and make the following statement:

I would not think of making assumptions or judgment calls against you, lilian, because I don’t know you in person.

Now, as I dismount the virtual horse, I would like to convey the
urgency of time by discreetly glancing at my watch and concede that you
are probably wiser than me, due to your…seniority, shall we say?

The part I will have to check my facts (people still do that in this
day and age, you know) is the bit regarding being an “established
forummer (sic)”. LimTeh.com is a proof of concept venture launched
recently, so if that’s what you’re referring to (which I know you’re
not, I just wanted to clear all bases), so it’s only been online for a
couple of months.

I have to remind you that chanlilian.net does not have a forum to
form a basis of comparison though, which renders the statement
completely invalid and pushes it into the domain of a self-serving,
self-righteous, masturbatory statement. I really hope you don’t have a
forum, coz I didn’t check and I would look like a total ass if you’ve
been running one for decades (which is technically possible, with you
being a mother and all, I plan to keep my blog going for decades too).

Nonetheless, I believe that’s not what you’re trying to convey due
to the language semantics (oh, btw, don’t mean to be a Grammar Nazi,
but substance doesn’t have an s suffix). I get the impression that
you’re referring to forum participation…and this is where I have to
solicit your input.

I have been actively involved in forums/BBS/newsgroups/mailing lists (now that was old skool) before 1993.

The above statement is:

TRUE
I have no more questions. You are the old skool master and the title
“established forummer (sic)” is rightly yours, as befits your (insert
euphemism for age before posting, don’t forget now, no cheap blows). –
Oh no, I forgot! Sorry!

FALSE
I’m afraid that I’ve been involved in BBS since 1993, using a dial-up to call BBS systems around the world. Yes, we needed to pay the international call charges. It was fun at that time.
I’ve also been active in various mailing lists, and was a moderator and
compiler (weekly digests) for several in 1994 and I also got into
newsgroups at that time (which, I’m ashamed to say, mostly involved
alt.binaries.sex).
I have also joined various forums throughout the years as my interests
change and have been around long enough to know I don’t have to jump at
my own shadow at any hint of academic discussions on topics of questionable legality (God Forbid!) due to the existing protective legal framework.

The point of this entire dick sizing exercise (which is rather
pointless, considering I’m the only male here) is to communicate my
indignity at this attempt to challenge my experience. I’m just kidding,
I’m not actually indignant, nor do I care about all this, I just have a
lot of time on my hands.

Well then, sorry for being an asshole, no hard feelings, all in good
fun, blah blah, and all that. I realized that I have other things to
do…but! But, but, lilian, my sister in Christ, I always have a spare minute to share the word of Christ with a fellow Christian.

I’m dusting my worn copy of the Scripture now and there’s a very wise paragraph that goes “Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself.”

Hang on…my bad, that’s a Metallica CD…right, here’s the good book.

It says “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your
own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother’s eye.”

Jesus, the Bible can be a bit harsh, eh? Hypocrite might be too
strong a word. However, that doesn’t invalidate the general lesson.
It’s a very simple concept actually. In fact, it can be distilled down
and still retain the message.

Speck-brother, Plank-own.

I just felt like sharing that piece of scripture with you. It’s so easy to forget the holy gospel in this day and age….

Peace be with you always, and God Bless! Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely yours,
Poh Huai BinChief Operations OfficerDepartment of Social Manipulation, Coercive Persuasion and General Bad Influence of a Vague Nature
(commonly known as The DEPT of S&M and CoPu(lation))
“Where we turn tabula rasa into tabula rasa.”

Postmortem: The flame wasn’t concise enough, and
this is compounded by inconsistent wit. This makes for rather dry
reading, which is the opposite of what a good flame should be – think
barbeque and steaks, juicy and irresistible. Certain parts should be,
in retrospect, left out, as a four page flame is really overkill. I got
bored of writing halfway. It’s a good thing I had an ending ready, or
it’ll be one of those tapering off, half assed flames. ;)

Rasa means “feel” in Bahasa Malaysia. I shouldn’t have to explain,
spoils it, but unless you skim read, you should have either got it or
didn’t, so for those who didn’t…it’s supposed to mean “Where we turn blank slates into feeling slates”.
The word “rasa” is slightly more intense than “feel”, so it’s more in the context of “feel me?”

There was a thing (yes, a thing) going on at the Civic
Center in Kuching yesterday and ntv7, RTM, Vision 8, etc (basically the
entire alphabet soup) were there as well as major papers from Malaysia.

Most of them featured the guest of honor (not us, the big wigs, it
wasn’t a press conference for us), but surprisingly one of the papers
did print a full page story of us. I did manage to position myself in
front of several press photographers and rolling TV cameras but I don’t
know if I managed to get my ugly ass on the air coz I don’t have TV.

I got into Sin Chiew Jit Poh, one of the largest Chinese dailies
though…here’s a scanned image of me. Unfortunately, the shot didn’t
have one of my much lauded Kung Fu Hustle (TM) poses. The images in
this post are all from Sin Chiew Jit Poh.

Oh, mirror mirror on the wall, who is the biggest publicity whore of them all? ;)

Pall Mall came out with Pall Mall Classic cigarettes earlier this
year as a limited production run. It’s billed as a cigarette with more
refined tobacco mix and the classic taste of the original Pall Mall
cigarettes. Unfortunately, Pall Mall Classic was taken off the shelves
due to low consumer interest before I could get a pack.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a 25 pack of Pall Mall Classic at
the store of the grocery shop one of my friends own. It was supposed to
be recalled by the manufacturer, but he kept one anyway, and gave it to
me, knowing my legendary tardiness and paradoxical fondness for new
and/or limited edition cigarettes.

The gold foil preserving the (dubious) freshness of these long due cigarettes has the letters “Pall Mall” inscribed on it.

Tearing off the foil lining reveals the familiar sight of the 25
cigarette array (used to get Marlboro 25’s in uni coz it’s cheaper)…

…and each of the Pall Mall Classic cigarettes has the standard black font “Pall Mall” letters scripted on the tip.

Despite the time, the Pall Mall Classic cigarettes taste good. There
wasn’t any hint of the staleness that I expected. I thought Pall Mall
Classic is a great complement to the existing Pall Mall line. It’s a
mystery to me why Pall Mall decided to pull Pall Mall Classic off the
shelves.

Just like the mystery behind Cherry Coke being taken off the shelves years ago. It still keeps me up at night…

This is the Red Tea Road Ice Shop located in 3rd
Mile Bazaar, Kuching. There’s another branch of the Red Tea Road Ice
Shop/Hong Kong Restaurant chain near where I work, but for reasons
unfathomable even to myself, we headed over to the one at 3rd Mile
instead.

The Red Tea Road Ice Shop just started operations when we got there,
but things seem to be looking suitable industrious in the ice tea
preparation center.

The outcrop balcony seating arrangements were (again) suitable well
populated with people. If I may, can I please redirect your eyes to the
two ladies sitting closest to the digital camera?

In particular, I would like to highlight this tattoo that one of the
girls had on her. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s move on
to Red Tea Road Ice Road drink offerings…

I had two drinks – this is from the Brewed Ice Tea menu…Golden
Lime (RM 3.00). It’s bubble tea without the bubbles (the sago pearls,
rather) and its not ice blended. It’s alright, but for maximum heat
dissipation, I would recommend…

…the Red Plum Ice Blended Tea (RM 3.50 with optional sago pearls).
It’s ice blended, and it’s made with plums, that sour fruit that is
strangely thirst quenching in its own peculiar way…

It’s perfect for the hot weather these days too…aggressive
behavior and “sexually abusive” impulses can be curbed with a little
bit of 0 degree Celsius water. ;)

Rom Orchid Garden is a lush restaurant tucked away
in a remote area…the small gate allowing entry to this eating
establishment cum private orchid garden looks like the creeper vine
gate heading into The Secret Garden come to live.

The small, swinging gate at the entrance of Rom Orchid Garden leads
to a meandering small staircase lined, nay, overfilled with flora of
all sorts. First perceptions lead one to believe that there isn’t
anything except a private orchid garden here…

…and that’s the image the proprietor likes to project. Word has it
that the proprietor turned down the publicity generating Jalan Jalan
Cari Makan TV series to maintain Rom Orchid Garden’s current status of
relative anonymity – a secret, if you will, to be shared through word
of mouth.

Rom Orchid Garden has several segmented eating areas and the
partitioning is perfect – there’s virtual privacy from the natural
flora and fauna being used to separate dining areas and the excessive
shrubbery leads to a serene atmosphere, a nice oxygen replenishment pit
stop from the city.

The interplay of shadow and light which occurs naturally from the
floral arrangements also allows for a tranquil eating experience without the tranquilizers. ;)

This is Rom Omelette which is “cooked with chicken” (RM 4.50). It’s
a very spicy and filling appetizer. I will come to realize that Rom
Orchid Garden serves very spicy food.

My dining companion went for the Nasi Lemak (RM 4.50). It’s well
cooked, spicy, and comes with a prime piece of meat (the upper bit of
the chicken drumstick).

The Sup Tulang (RM 4.50) which Rom Orchid Garden serves is also very
good. It seems to have a reputation of having good sup tulang, which
literally translates to bone soup.

I went for the Rom’s Prawn Mee (RM 5.00) which is described as
“yellow noodles served with special gravy, prawns, and vegetables”. The
gravy is very special indeed, as the color indicates…very high level of spiciness.

I could not stop my eyes from watering with every bite of noodle I
take or every sip of the wonderfully spicy gravy that I took…but take
it I did, and I finished everything in the bowl. I give this dish two
thumbs up for sheer audacity in the spice department!

Rom Orchid Garden is a nice, private halal restaurant which is perfect for lunch…that is, if you can find it. ;)